1c 1851 Plate 3 Stamps

I acquired a few more 1¢ Franklins, and among them was a #7 with a green cancel. At the time of purchase, all that I could determine with certainty was that it was a relief "B". It had a dark blue color and pronounced interstitial blurring, so I thought it might be a plate 3, but it had both a PF and a PSE cert, and neither mentioned a plate number.

The especially heavy interstitial blurring (both above and below the stamp), and the guide dot which is more square than round, leads me to believe it is a plate 3. It's hard to find plated material to compare it with, but the guide dot position limits the possibilities. I am thinking either 63L3, 83L3, 46R3 or 82R3. It has a mark where a "dingle" occurs, but I don't think it is greater that I see on many relief "B" examples - even those not on the 9th row.

Any help is appreciated.

I am embarrassed, but I kept looking for a match for this stamp, also in Plate 2 material. It looks to be an exact match with several plate marks and the guide dot with Doporto's 26R2. Doporto's example doesn't have the same degree of interstitial blurring,
but the multiple plate mark matches are convincing.

I agree that 26R2 appears to be a very good match.

I have 2 copies of that position, and the N vertical dash is consistent and matches yours.

The guide dot appears to match.

There is a consistent 'dot' in the colorless oval below O of ONE. The cancel and other stuff on your copy makes it hard to be sure of what is what, but it appears to be there.

There are also strong vertical O scratches on my copies. I can't see that area well on your stamp, due to cancel, etc

Left ornament completeness appears correct.

It is my impression that the blurring in between printed stamps is more characteristic of Plate 2 than Plate 3.

For another confirmation that it is a 26R2, I took a closer look at the "O" in "ONE" in which Dopoto shows a smear of blue ink. I think it is pretty easy to see it on my stamp, too, even with the overlying green cancel.

The 2nd image is another plate 3 stamp I recently acquired. It is position 1L3.

I purchased one of the lower priced Plate 3 stamps from the Eubanks sale. This one is unplated, but it is a relief "B", and I thought there was a good chance I could plate it with the help of others on this forum. It's not a spectacular looking example, but I thought that it was a better example of the characteristic mottling than I currently own, and the margins were clear on all four sides. When I receive the stamp, I'll post some higher resolution photos and scans, but from the guide dot, the top and bottom margin blurring, and possible surface cracks in the left margin, I think it may be position 21L3.

Looks like a body of plate B relief - 3rd, 5th or 7th row.
Not a 9th or 10th row B.

I agree with your plating WIDGLO tho based solely upon the example in Siegel. Plate 3 examples don't abound.

Position 21L3 was just one of the candidate positions that I considered after studying the Neinken maps. It was fortuitous the Eubanks sale had a pristine example of 31L3 (lot 94) with the whole lower half of 21L3 included. The bottom of my stamp matches it better than anything else I could find. The are also the confluence of multiple small dots in the LUC of my stamp that matches the Neinken map (see map and 1st image below). There is too much blur for me to confirm any surface cracks, but I'm hopeful that it won't be difficult under a microscope.

The last two images are crops of the 21L3 from Siegel's image of lot 94. The arrows are not to unique plate marks, but their size and detail are nearly an exact match the same features on my stamp.

This may help you decide. It is from Dick's files which I now feel free to share.

Njs900 - Thanks for the image. I had seen that one at an earlier Siegel sale, and I think it just confirms my feeling that I can also plate mine to 21L3. The key, of course, will be in seeing more evidence of surface cracks beneath the blurring. I am pretty certain, though, that I can see at least one of them.

I was lucky to pick up a very nice horizontal pair at a recent Kelleher sale. It's a 98-99R3 which I could confirm with Doporto's 98R3. Neither Doporto nor the Stampsmarter database has a 99R3 image to display, so if anyone would like me to email them a high resolution scan, I'd be happy to do it. The images under the pair are 98R3 LLC, 98R3 L side, 98-99R3 RLC-LLC, and 99R3 RLC.

Yes, your 98R3 definitely matches. Nice pair!

If you send me a high res scan, I will put it in the database.

I received the stamp that I thought might be a 21L3, and my scan is below. Unfortunately I can't see any of the well documented plate cracks described for that position. My best guess now is 27L3 based on the Neinken map and one other example from a Siegel sale. I see a dot on the bust under the cancel and a blur in the frame border under the right edge of the "E" in ONE.